Download Deviance/Social Control

Deviance/Social Control
What is Deviance?
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The violation of rules, or norms. Range from
minor traffic violation all the way up to murder.
Think of the associated/root word of deviancedeviate.
It is not necessarily the act itself, but the
reactions to the act that constitutes something
as deviant (i.e. the “meaning-making” of the act)
Sociologists use the term non-judgmentally, to
refer to any act to which people respond
negatively.
Crime: A specific form of
deviance
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The violation of norms written into law.
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An act that is applauded by one group
may be despised by another that is
punishable by death (Examples?)
Thought Exercise:
List in Order of Severity
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A. Texting and Driving
B. Stealing a candy bar from WCU bookstore
C. Cheating on Sociology Quiz
D. Identity Theft
E. Adultery
F. Downloading pirated mp3
G. Insider Trading
H. Smoking Pot
I. Cheating on Boyfriend/Girlfriend
J. Underage Drinking
K. Smoking Cigarettes
1.___
2.___
3.___
4.___
5.___
6.___
7.___
8.___
9.___
10.___
11.___
Stigma
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To be considered a deviant, a person does not
necessarily have to do anything.
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Erving Goffman: used the term stigma to refer
to characteristics that discredit people; violations
of norms of ability and norms of appearance
such as blindness, deafness, obesity, etc. Also
include involuntary memberships such as being
a victim of AIDS or brother/sister of criminal.
(Similar to ascribed status?)
Let’s revisit norms…
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No human groups can exist without norms!
Norms make social life possible by making
behavior predictable.
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Norms lay out the basic guidelines for how we
should conduct ourselves and interact with
others.
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Without norms, there would be social chaos!
Norms bring about SOCIAL ORDER.
Social Order
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A group’s usual and customary social
arrangements, on which its members
depend and on which they base their lives.
Deviance can be perceived as a threat to
this arrangement.
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How is social order maintained? Through
SOCIAL CONTROL.
Social Control
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A group’s formal and informal means of
enforcing its norms. Q: What does society
use to implement social control?
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A: Remember sanctions? (positive and
negative) Examples?
3 Competing Explanations of
Deviance:
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Sociobiologists: genetic predispositions lead
individuals toward criminal behavior.
Psychologists: personality disorders; “deviating
personalities”; sociopathic behavior.
Sociologists: Social influences “recruit” people
to break norms/laws. External influences include
socialization, membership to subcultures, and
SES.
(let’s look at the symbolic interactionist perspective
on deviance…)
Edwin Sutherland: Differential
Association Theory
The degree to which we deviate/conform
to society’s norms stems from the different
groups we associate with.
 Deviants come to learn the motivations
and the technical knowledge for deviant or
criminal activity from association with
those who commit crime rather than with
those who do not commit crime.
DEVIANCE IS LEARNED!
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Labeling Theory:
The idea that the labels people are given
(i.e. names, reputations, etc.) affect their
own and others’ perceptions of them, thus
channeling their behavior either into
deviance or into conformity.
 Labels open and close doors of
opportunity.
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Now let’s look at the functionalist
perspective…
Durkheim: deviance/crime is
functional for society. It contributes to the
social order.
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Three main functions: clarifies moral
boundaries, promotes social unity,
promotes social change.
Strain Theory:
Merton: the strain experienced when
a society socializes large numbers of
people to desire a cultural goal (such as
wealth), but withholds from many the
approved means of reaching that goal;
one adaptation to this strain is crime, the
choice to deviate from the approved
system to attain the cultural goal.
Illegitimate Opportunity Structures:
Opportunities for crimes that are woven
into the texture of life. In urban slums,
crimes such as robbery, drug dealing,
prostitution, etc. present themselves as
opportunities for attaining the cultural goal
of success/money.
 Illegitimate Opportunity Structures are
“class-specific”.
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White-Collar Crime
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The types of crime typically associated with
people of a respectable and high social status in
the course of their occupations (think
embezzlement, inside trading, false advertising,
securities violations, etc.)
Corporate Crime: A specific form of white-collar
crime; committed by executives in order to
benefit their corporation (remember ENRON?)
The poor have neither the opportunity to commit
these types of crime nor the chance to make the
huge profits they offer.
Now let’s look at the conflict
perspective…
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The conflict perspective examines the criminal
justice system as another system run by the
power elite.
The idea that the law is blind/acts impartially is a
cultural myth promoted by the capitalist class.
The law is an instrument of oppression, a tool
designed by the powerful to maintain positions
of privilege. (crack/cocaine sentencing
guidelines example)
Conflict perspective on deviance
(con’t)
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Because the working class has the potential to
rebel and overthrow the current social order,
when its members get out of line, the law comes
down hard on them.
Criminal justice system thus focuses on
violations of the working class instead of owners
of corporations that create unsafe products,
pollution, price fixing, etc.
Occasionally, however, a flagrant violation by a
member of the capitalist class is prosecuted to
maintain the illusion/stabilize the social system
and prevent an uprising by the working class.
Foucault and the Panopticon
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Michel Foucault (19-19) Argued that modern
society is engaged in a system of selfregulation/self-policing. The state acts similar to
the guards in a panopticon, where the inmates
(members of society) become more mindful of
their own behavior under the constant “gaze” of
authority.
The Death Penalty and Bias
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Where people commit murder greatly
affects their chances of being put to death
(see page 227).
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One’s SES also is a crucial factor. 51% of
of the prisoners on death row have not
finished high school.